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USBC Coaches launch instructional Bowling Website

USBC News

MyBowlingCoach.com offers online lessons for all bowlers

Bowling lessons are now as close as a personal computer thanks to a new Web site created by three top United States Bowling Congress certified coaches.

MyBowlingCoach.com is a Web-based, personalized coaching program offering 24 hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week access to world-class bowling instruction from leading USBC coaches and top professional and amateur bowlers. From any computer with broadband Internet access, bowlers can watch streaming instructional videos, print out personalized lesson plans, take interactive quizzes and more.

In cooperation with USBC, the innovative site was created and launched by three of the world's most respected bowling coaches, USBC-certified Gold level coaches Jeri Edwards, Fred Borden and Ron Hatfield. Edwards is the current USBC Team USA head coach. Borden is the founder of the USBC Coaching (formerly USA Bowling) certification program and former USBC Team USA head coach. Hatfield is head coach of the highly-regarded Westerville (Ohio) South High School bowling team, a former USBC Junior Team USA assistant coach and three-year captain of the Ohio State University bowling team.

"It's like having your own certified coach inside your computer," said Edwards (left), a former Ladies Professional Bowlers Tour champion. "Even if you don't have a coach nearby, you can have your own private coach right at your fingertips online through your computer."

Subscribers to MyBowlingCoach.com pay a $49.95 annual membership fee and have access to video and audio instructional lessons categorized in three different ability levels (novice, skilled and elite) based on bowling average. Each lesson comes with a printable checklist and summary that bowlers can print and bring with them to the bowling center as a reference. Audio lessons can be downloaded onto an iPod. Lesson content will change weekly and will cover such topics as timing, arm swing, release, lane play, the mental game and making adjustments. The site also includes a blog and an online shopping section.

"It's like building your own personal bowling library," said Edwards, who along with Borden and Hatfield plan to offer on-site teaching clinics. "This opens up a whole new realm to use technology to support bowling. Teaching one person at a time is terrific, but there are only so many people you can affect. We can reach so many more people with good information about bowling and help them get better at something they love to do."

In addition to Edwards, Borden and Hatfield, USBC Sport Bowling spokesperson and top professional bowler Chris Barnes currently is featured in the online lessons. Other top coaches and amateur and professional bowlers expected to be added to the online teaching lineup include: USBC Youth spokesperson, nine-time USBC Team USA member and 2006 U.S. Amateur champion Diandra Asbaty; former professional bowler Anne Marie Duggan; and top amateur bowler Bill Hoffman.

"As the national governing body of bowling, USBC supports MyBowlingCoach.com because we believe coaching is essential to growing the sport," said Director of USBC Coaching Bob Maki. "As bowlers improve their skills, they want to continue to participate. We believe in the future of online coaching and the potential of the Internet to bring coaching support to more bowlers and coaches."

The idea behind MyBowlingCoach.com is to supplement traditional on-lanes coaching from USBC-certified coaches who can be located via the "Find a Coach" option on the Coaching section of bowl.com, USBC's official Web site.

"We want to give people the opportunity to get better and to encourage different ways to improve," Edwards said. "Our Web site is not the only piece of the puzzle; it's the one that we haven't had. This is the start but certainly not the end."